Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Saturday said that embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was not planning to relinquish power.
"He repeatedly said both publicly and in private ... that he is not planning to leave, that he will remain in his post," Lavrov said following talks in Moscow with the international envoy for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi.
"There is no possibility to change this position," added Lavrov.
The Syrian opposition has repeatedly said a political solution to end the country's 22-month conflict is impossible unless al-Assad steps down.
However, Lavrov hinted at a possibility for a political end to the conflict, which the opposition says has claimed more than 45,000 lives.
"The confrontation is escalating. But we agree the chance for a political solution remains," Lavrov said, without providing details.
The Russian official described the Syrian opposition's boycott of talks in Moscow as "the path into a dead end."
"Their refusal to have any dialogue with the government is a dead end position," Lavrov said, according to the Itar Tass news agency.
Lavrov added he was surprised by the opposition's demands that his country apologize for its position on Syria.
Moscow had extended an invitation to Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib, the head of the newly formed National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, to visit Moscow for talks.
"We will not go to Moscow," al-Khatib told broadcaster Al Jazeera, adding that Russia should apologize for its stance so far in the Syrian conflict.
For his part, Brahimi warned that the increasingly sectarian conflict in Syria would lead to dire consequences.
"If the only alternative is hell or a political process, then all of us have to work continuously toward the political process," Brahimi said in Moscow.
The veteran Algerian diplomat's talks in Moscow came after a five-day visit to Damascus where he met with al-Assad and opposition groups inside Syria tolerated by the regime.
Brahimi said he pinned a lot of hope on Russian backing to end the Syrian conflict.
Russia, a traditional ally and arms supplier of Syria, has repeatedly vetoed United Nations resolutions against al-Assad.
The fresh diplomatic push comes as activists said that at least 10 people were killed in a bombardment by government jets of the pro-rebel town of Karnaz in the central province of Hama.
Government troops and rebels were fighting near a government military institution in the northern province of Aleppo, reported the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Both sides have been battling in Aleppo, where rebels have claimed major gains.
News from Syria is hard to verify as authorities have barred most foreign media from the country since the uprising against al-Assad started in March last year.